Seafood Stuffed Mirlitonchayote Recipes

SHRIMP-STUFFED MIRLITON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put the mirliton halves cut-side down in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add 1 cup of water, cover tightly with foil and bake until soft, cooked through and easily poked with a fork, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes. (Leave the oven on.) Scoop out the pulp--making sure to leave a 1/4-inch border all around--then chop the pulp and reserve. Discard the water from the baking dish and return the scooped-out mirliton halves cut-side down.
• Meanwhile, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter with the Cajun seasoning in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the celery, garlic, bell pepper, onion and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and just begin to brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the sausage, hot sauce and tomatoes and cook, stirring, until the sausage is warmed through and the tomatoes start to release their juices, about 3 minutes. Add the crab, shrimp and reserved mirliton pulp and continue cooking until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Microwave the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small microwave-safe dish until melted, about 30 seconds. Add the breadcrumbs and parsley and stir until well combined.
• Turn each mirliton half over so the cut side is facing up. Stuff each with about 1/2 cup of the crab and shrimp mixture--it will seem like a lot, but that's OK. Sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture and bake until the shrimp are cooked through and the breadcrumbs turn a deep golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with additional hot sauce if desired.

THE BEST SEAFOOD STUFFED MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Place cream cheese, egg yolk, 1 tablespoon bread crumbs, green onion, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a mixer. Mix until smooth and evenly blended. Fold in the snow crab and shrimp. Stuff the mushrooms with this mixture, and press into the remaining bread crumbs to coat. Place onto baking sheet stuffing-side-up once coated.
• Bake in preheated oven until the mushrooms have softened slightly, 12 to 14 minutes. Set oven to Broil, and broil mushrooms for a few minutes until the tops are golden and bubbly.

CREAMY SEAFOOD-STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. , Meanwhile, in a small skillet, saute green pepper and onion in 1 teaspoon butter until tender; set aside., In a large bowl, combine crab, shrimp, egg, mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning, pepper and green pepper mixture., Preheat oven to 350°. Drain and rinse pasta; stuff each shell with 1 rounded tablespoon of seafood mixture. Place in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. , In a small saucepan, melt remaining butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and coarsely ground pepper; gradually whisk in remaining milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in Parmesan cheese., Pour over stuffed shells. Sprinkle with remaining seafood seasoning. Bake, uncovered, 30-35 minutes or until bubbly.

MIRLITON (CHAYOTE) CASSEROLE

Steps:

• 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the mirlitons and cook until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the heat, drain, and set aside to cool completely.
• 2. Sprinkle ground beef, pork or sausage with 1 tablespoon creole seasoning and brown in heavy skillet. Drain and set aside.
• 3. When the mirlitons are cool, cut them in half lengthwise, remove the seeds, peel, and coarsely chop. Set aside.
• 4. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, carrots, celery, green onions and jalapeno. Add remaining creole seasoning and the thyme. Cook slowly, stirring, until the vegetables are soft and lightly golden, about 30 minutes.
• 5. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add the mirlitons and cook, mashing them with a potato masher, until very tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes.
• 6. At this point, if you want a smoother textured casserole use an immersion blender or put mixture into a food processor or blender in small batches until everything is pureed. If you like a chunkier casserole then skip this step.
• 7. Add the meats or seafood, salt, black pepper, and parsley. Cook about 3 to 4 minutes stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Remove from the heat.
• 8. Add the eggs and toasted bread crumbs and mix well. You want the mixture to be tight, not too wet. Spoon the mixture into a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella or parmesan cheese (optional), or with about 1-2 tablespoons of bread crumbs.
• 9. Bake at 350 until the topping is lightly browned and bubbly, about 40 minutes. Serve warm.
• 10. *NOTES: In a skillet, toast the breadcrumbs in a little olive oil over medium heat until it turns 2 shades darker. This will keep the casserole from being gummy.
• 11. If you make extra toasted breadcrumbs you can freeze them in a ziplock bag until you're ready to use them again.

SEAFOOD-STUFFED MIRLITON/CHAYOTE

Steps:

• Steam or boil the mirlitons until the flesh is just tender -- try not to overcook or the shell will fall apart. (Seven minutes in the microwave, 10 minutes in salted boiling water on the stovetop.) Cool slightly and scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1/4-inch shell. Set the flesh aside.
• Saute the onion, garlic, celery and parsley in the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes until very tender, adding chicken broth if the vegetables become dry and begin to stick. Add the squash and mash with a potato masher. Cook until squash liquid evaporates.
• Stir in the shrimp and crabmeat and cook until most shrimp are pink, about 2 minutes. Add enough bread crumbs to absorb any liquid in the mixture. Fill the mirliton shells with the mixture. Sprinkle with additional crumbs and dot generously with butter.
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes until topping is crisp and golden.

STUFFED MIRLITONS

Steps:

• Cut mirlitons in half lengthwise. Remove seeds in center. Boil until tender. Scoop out flesh, reserving shell for stuffing. Mash the flesh.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat oil in a 9 to 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery and saute until tender. Add mashed mirliton flesh, shrimp (or sausage), 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs, seasoned salt, and cayenne pepper and stir to combine. Fill mirliton shells with this mixture. Cover with remaining bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes or until browned. This can be served as a main dish and it also freezes well.

MIRLITON CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Take the mirlitons and boil until tender by sticking a sharp knife into it. If it goes in easily just as when testing a potato they are ready. Do not overcook.
• Drain and cool.
• Meanwhile, take your seasonings except for the garlic and parsley and saute until soft.
• Add shrimp and saute until pink.
• add garlic and parsley, bread crumbs, salt & pepper.
• Turn off heat.
• Take the mirlitons and cut in half lengthwise.
• Take a teaspoon and scoop out the seed and sac that surrounds it.
• Then scoop out the meat of the merliton and save it in the pan along with the dressing.
• You can use the shells to refill with the dressing if you care to. Since I usually end up tearing my shells, I usually end up using a casserole dish and adding everything into it after mixing well.
• If the mixture is dry once it is all mixed, you can add a little water or chicken broth a little at a time until it is just a tad pasty.
• Place a pat of butter on each half and bake in medium oven until browned and bubbly.
• You can make these ahead of time and freeze them.
• Take them out a day before you need them and let them thaw in the refrigerator and bake right before serving.
• For variety, you can use hot sausage out of the casing or ground meat.

MIRLITON

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add mirliton, and boil until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain, cool, and peel. Cut in half, remove seeds, and cut into cubes.
• When the mirliton are almost done, bring another pot of water to a boil. Add shrimp, and cook for about 5 minutes, until pink. Drain shrimp, reserving the water for later. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry onion and garlic in the oil until soft. Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish. Add the shrimp, ham, and cubed mirliton. Beat the egg in a small dish with a tablespoon of the water from the shrimp; pour into the baking dish. Mix in the bread crumbs, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper until evenly blended. If it seems a little dry, add a little more water from the shrimp. You have the choice to freeze, refrigerate, or bake at this point. Sprinkle some more breadcrumbs on top if desired.
• Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown on top.